National energy regulators of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro have signed an agreement on the establishment of a permanent advisory forum.

The founding members of the Advisory Forum and parties to the agreement are the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Bulgaria (KEVR), the Regulatory Authority for Energy of the Republic of Greece (RAE), the Energy Agency of the Republic of Serbia (AERS), the Energy Regulatory Commission of Macedonia (ERC), and the Energy Regulatory Agency of Montenegro (REGAGEN).

The Advisory Forum will provide a framework for discussions, exchange of experience, and where possible, the development of common positions and recommendations on regulatory issues falling within the scope of the electricity, gas and water and sewerage markets in the region, AERS said in a press release.

Members of the new forum will also coordinate their actions to ensure energy supplies in the region through the optimal use of interconnections and energy sources, as well as the diversification of suppliers and transmission routes.

The agreement establishes a governing body of the forum – the Board of Regulators, involving senior representatives of the founding national regulators. Working groups of experts from national regulatory bodies will be formed to analyze and address specific issues in the energy and water sectors.

The Board of Regulators will hold annual meetings in the autumn to adopt a basic framework for discussions over the next two years on priority topics for the participants. The annual board meeting will be led by the national regulator elected on a rotating basis as the Presidency of the Forum.

Bulgaria’s Energy and Water Regulatory Commission was elected Presidency of the newly established Advisory Forum in the first year.

The initiative for the establishment of the Advisory Forum was launched by Bulgaria’s KEVR at the regional meeting of the Balkan Energy Regulators held on March 1-2 this year in Veliko Tarnovo.